The Russellville Democrat., 1887-09-28
BOYS AND FIREARMS.
A Tragedy which Should Teach Parents q
Long-Needod Lesson.

Long Nteucu LESSON
The recent shooting of a boy at May
wood by another child was accidental.
The coroner's jury so declared. and
probably the circumstances justified
the conclusion. SO trivial an incident
may seem to be scarcely worth even q
word OF passing comment. Accidental
deaths from the careless handling of
firearms are common occurrences
even more common in these days than
the self-extermination of persons who
feature of the accidental murder in
question that will strike anybody as
exceptional is the extreme youth of
the parties in the affair. The victim
was ten years old; the possessor of the
fatal weapon perhaps a trifle older.
Men who were boys a quarter of
century or more ago may wonder how
or why the small boy who put his com
panion to death so suddenly
happened to be armed with
the means of determination; and
these fogies would probably be much
amazed if assured that pistols have
come to be almost as much part of
the small boys usual equipment as
cigarettes, marbles, tops or jack
knives. Yet many persons pretending
to be well-informed might be found
ready to testify that this surprising as
surance is true.
1t is to be wished that the arms bear
ing habit of the small boy which
came in with the cheap romance of
wild western adventure and Indian ex-
termination, of Jibbcnano says and
Misunderstanding and boy Scouts,
might be reformed altogether 1t is
true that there are still Indians who
ought to be killed. and that the regu-
lar forces of the United States are not
killing them as expeditiously as might
be desired; but it is also true
that the undesirable aboriginal
population of the West has not been
appreciably reduced by the well-meant
though ill-directed efforts of the infan-
tile avengers and youthful rangers,
whose most sensational achievements
usually are the shooting of each other.
If proud parents who have exultingly
watched the young idea of their Off
spring teach itself how TO shoot could
be prevailed upon to consider the mat
ter in the light of practical results.
they might persuade themselves that
tbe small boy who goes about with
e volver in his pocket has ten chances
If chewing notoriety in the Ipeniten-
,iarv Or on the gallows for one of
-eaching the pinnacle of fame upon
which. smong the crowned heads of
Europe, M. VIM Cody sits enthroned.
In all sea -iousness. the father who
pc rmits his boy to own and
AIRY pistol s guilty Of grave crime
against society. The father who is
gnorant of the act that his boy carries
i murderous wea pom is in most in
stances criminally Negligent OF his inn
duty to know the habits of his
child. The shop-keep sr who sells fire.
arms to small boys for the sake Cd the
profit to be made upon such
ought to be taken out, set
up at ten PAGES, and made y target for
all the hoodlums owning pis tois within
q mile OF him. And one tn ing more:
The law should hold the perso who.
by the playful or careless use OF lire
arms, causes the death of another
guilty of manslaughter, and send him
to prison for life. Idiots of that sort
are too dangerous to be allowed To run
at large - Chicago Times.